January 4, 2009
AUSTRALIA'S foremost boxing doctor has vowed to protect John Hopoate -
or any other local heavyweight - from the potential risk of being
exposed to the HIV virus should a proposed bout featuring former world
champion Tommy Morrison take place in Melbourne later this year.

Morrison, 39, tested positive to HIV during a routine blood test in
1996. He had just signed a deal worth $US40 million to fight Mike Tyson.
Morrison was subsequently stripped of his boxing licence by the Nevada
State Athletic Commission.

Two years ago, the former World Boxing Organisation champion returned to
the ring after claiming to have been wrongly diagnosed. He's since had
two fights, recording technical knockouts in Mexico and West Virginia.

Former rugby league international Hopoate, the Australian heavyweight
champion, is in line to fight the former champ who co-starred alongside
Sylvester Stallone in Rocky V because it's assumed the pay-TV sales
would be a licence to print money.

However, Dr Lou Lewis, who is a consultant for the NSW Boxing Authority,
said he'd demand "at the highest level" that Morrison be forced to
undergo blood tests conducted by an Australian doctor and analysed by a
local laboratory.

"He'd be tested for HIV one and two, Hepatitis B and C. If he has it
[HIV] you'd want to protect his opponent. Assuming he did have HIV, I
would be concerned even sitting ringside. If he had HIV and was cut you
would be worried about his blood going into your eyes. A boxer's artery
can be severed during a fight and his blood spurts everywhere. If
Morrison had HIV it's a serious concern because the nature of boxing -
it is a blood sport - means it has the potential to be very risky.

"Boxing is a dangerous enough sport without allowing a fighter in the
ring with a serious contagious disease. You would not want to think a
fighter would be placed at unnecessary risk through the transfer of
blood."

Lewis said Morrison would also need to arrive weeks before the bout to
ensure there was enough time to prove he was clear of the virus.

"It's true that there have been cases of false positive tests before,
and it is indeed possible Morrison received a false positive," Lewis
said.

"Nevertheless, we'd want to test him, and we'd also want the time to
test him thoroughly."

A story on the respected SecondsOut website said Quest Diagnostics
pathologist Dr John Hiatt, the physician who reviewed Morrison's
original 1996 HIV results, had recently studied the archived results for
Morrison, and he declared they were "unequivocal".

However, the article also cited a report in The Arizona Republic last
June that Morrison had recently tested positive for HIV.

His former agent Randy Lang told the newspaper he'd ended his
professional association with Morrison after the results of his HIV
tests were "misrepresented".

Hopoate and fellow former rugby league player Solomon Haumono are the
preferred opponents for Morrison but should they refuse the fight, The
Sun-Herald understands Melbourne promoter Peter Maniatis would approach
Bob Mirovic or Nathan Briggs.

In between making his comeback, Morrison has also been working on his
autobiography, a reality TV show, a documentary and his acting career.

The committed Christian and father of four is also a spiritual and
motivational speaker.